Garden Design

Garden design is the creation of
plans for layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Garden
design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by
professionals.

Most professional garden designers are trained in
principles of design and in horticulture, and have an expert
knowledge and experience of using plants. Some professional garden
designers are also landscape architects, a more formal level of
training that usually requires an advanced degree and often a
state license.

Elements of garden design include
the layout of hard landscape, such as paths, rockeries, walls,
water features, sitting areas and decking, as well as the plants
themselves, with consideration for their horticultural
requirements, their season-to-season appearance, lifespan, growth
habit, size, speed of growth, and combinations with other plants
and landscape features. Consideration is also given to the
maintenance needs of the garden, including the time or funds
available for regular maintenance, which can affect the choices of
plants regarding speed of growth, spreading or self-seeding of the
plants, whether annual or perennial, and bloom-time, and many
other characteristics.

The most important consideration
in garden design is how the garden will be used, followed closely
by the desired stylistic genres, and the way the garden space will
connect to the home or other structures in the surrounding areas.

All of these considerations are subject to the limitations of the
budget. Budget limitations can be addressed by a simpler garden
style with fewer plants and less costly hardscape materials, seeds
rather than sod for lawns, and plants that grow quickly;
alternately, garden owners may choose to create their garden over
time, area by area.